Marathon Health buys Missouri firm in move that boosts membership
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Marathon Health, an Indianapolis-based company that provides primary-care clinics inside or near businesses in 43 states to help them control medical costs, is about to get even bigger.
The company said Tuesday it is buying Cerner Workforce Health Solutions, a similar organization based in Kansas City, Missouri. The move will add about 300,000 members to Marathon’s network, for an instant membership growth of about 32%.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Cerner operates 35 health centers for employers and their workforces. In addition to providing primary care, Cerner offers occupational health therapy and onsite pharmacy services. Marathon plans to build upon those additional services “as it continues to broaden its service offering,” the two companies said in a joint statement.
The acquisition will expand Marathon’s footprint in 15 states where the two companies do business, including a “significant expansion” in Chicago, St. Louis, and Kansas City, Kansas, the companies said.
“Marathon Health is singularly dedicated to helping employees control health-care costs by transforming health-care delivery, and we are thrilled to joined forces with the Cerner WHS team on this mission,” Dr. Jeff Wells, CEO and co-founder of Marathon, said in written remarks.
The two companies operate in a sector of health care known as employer-sponsored primary care, meaning companies can sign up and send their employees to onsite and nearby medical clinics as a way to control health care spending.
Employers pay the companies a fixed fee for each employee, each month for the services. The clinics offer annual checkups, screenings, health coaching and other services.
The Indiana operation was founded as OurHealth in 2009 by Wells and his partner, Ben Evans. Before the Cerner deal, Marathon operated more than 250 health centers. It had more than 700 clinicians and other providers, and more than 950,000 members.
OurHealth merged with Marathon Health, then based in suburban Burlington, Vermont, in 2020 and adopted the Marathon name.